The Dance Of The Dark
by Ares Le Riffic
Summary: Using both sides of the moral compass as the stage. Evil and Good. Dark and Light. Different sides of the same coin. With the Blood War behind them the Wizarding World believes that it can breathe easy, but this so called peace will be shaken when they learn that defeated does not mean destroyed. A War of Blood. A War of Titans. A War for The World.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Bellatrix Lestrange felt them enter the property before she heard the shouts. The shouts of instructions to surround the house.

It would be Child's Play to get rid of them.

Child. She paused at that word and turned around walking towards the master bedroom. Rudolphus and Rabastan along with Bartemius Junior had already been captured by the aurors. She managed to escape by using the Longbottom's own escape measures.

Irony sure is a bitch.

A tiny giggle reached her ears. It came from the Master bedroom. She reached the door and walked inside. He smiled upon seeing her, violet eyes akin to her own lavender ones sparkling with innocence. She smiled softly at him and crinkled her nose as she picked him up. He laughed at his mother's antics and squeezed her cheeks. She laughed along with him.

The shattering of the perimeter wards reached her and the child's ears and she sighed as she knew her time was up. He started sniffling and seemed to want to cry. She cradled the babe in her arms and sang a song to his ears to soothe his terror. A bubble surrounded them so as to muffle the surrounding noise. She felt the aurors banging on the doors with spell upon spell in hopes of shattering its defences. He yawned and she smiled as he fell asleep in a sound.

Bellatrix grabbed a basket filled with blankets and placed the child inside. She then went and grabbed a tiny crystal that glowed with a dark blue hue. Before she placed the crystal in the child's hands she kissed his forehead and whispered in his ear.

"There is only one rule in life worth adhering to my dear Klaus. **Might Is Right**. Let no one stand in your way, let no one dare shame the House Lestrange. You will grow to understand the way the world looks at you, but do let it dissuade you. The blood of House Black burns through your veins, never forget that. You are Druklaus Prometheus Lestrange"

She stood back and watched as he become enveloped in quickly expanding crystals that soon encased the whole basket. She waved her wand in a complex pattern and the crystal orb rose and with nary a sound faded out of existence.

As soon as it disappeared so did any warmth present in the room. Her warm lavender pools became frigid as frost and her demeanour became more snake like and at ease. Red light arched out of her wand in anticipation as she walked into the hallway. She waved her wand and all the torches of the manor were blown out.

A grin cracked across her face and just as the door was shattered open and the aurors rained in she cackled.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_11 Years Later…_

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, grinning with lightning and laughing thunderously. The moon bathed the ground. Along with a crouched figure who sat and looked up at the majestic castle upon the hill.

Hogwarts.

He hid in a tree that stood a great height and gave him the perfect view of the Black Lake. The Black Lake where currently the new first year group boarding the boats about to be ferried towards the castle port. He narrowed his violet eyes at his target. He climbed down the tree and swiftly ran towards the lake's edge. By the time he made it there, the boats were already halfway across. He placed a rag over his face and crouched as he waited for the signal.

A light flickered in his eye and without hesitation he dove into the lake.

Under the pitch black water he took out a wristwatch and clicked one of the pins. A small wave erupted from it and the watch disappeared into dust. Suddenly he felt himself being carried, he willed whatever was carrying in the direction of the light that was still flickering.

Draco Malfoy scowled as he flickered his wand's light on and off. He did not know why but his father had given him the explicitly told to wait until he reached the middle of the lake and then do it.

Of course he asked why but he just received a cryptic answer back.

"You're just helping a lost soul finds its way,"

His dad had never been so cryptic before so he took this as a sign as one of those times to keep his mouth shut and do it. Though he was curious as to who exactly was this lost soul.

"Take a boat and make sure it is only you, Crabbe and Goyle aboard it. Make sure that you are the boat closest to the right side of the lake. And be discreet about the shining the light,"

A small wave rocked his boat, and he instantly pocketed his wand and shifted on his seat to make space. Crabbe and Goyle were also waiting in anticipation as they were also aware of the plan.

A paper whipped into his lap and Draco jumped at its appearance. He took it and read the words.

_Is the coast clear? Say so._

He knew instantly who sent this. The 'lost soul', he scoped around and all that was seen were mesmerized children looking at the castle. He turned back to look at the paper.

"The coast is clear,"

Not three seconds after he said that a huge wave crashed against the whole pod of boats. Childish screams were heard and some fell out of theirs. When the waters were calm, the resident squid in the lake helped students into their boats. Draco and his friends were busy laughing at the wet students to notice that their boat had a new occupant.

Draco wiped his eyes and calmed his laughs as he finally settled back into his seat. Only then did he notice the new occupant. He and his friends gaped at the new presence. The boy had wild black hair, porcelain skin and shockingly bright violet eyes. The boy looked at all of them and then nodded as if confirming something. He reached out a hand to Draco.

"Hello, my name is Druklaus but you may call me Klaus,"

The silver haired boy fixed his demeanour and grasped his hand in a handshake.

"My name is Draco Malfoy, these are my mates Crabbe and Goyle," Draco said pointing at the boys respectively.

He nodded to the other two.

"So you are the lost soul that my father was talking about," Draco said. He chuckled.

"Lost is a bit much, but yes I am said lost soul. So it was your father who gave you the instructions, interesting," he said mindlessly. He sat back against the boat and looked up at the castle.

"Beautiful," he remarked.

Klaus' mind was running a mile a minute as he thought about the events that were about to transpire. He ignored the looks that Draco shot at him in favour of closing his eyes and letting the cool drizzle wet his face.

"You don't know me," he said to the three boys as they landed against the stone port.

Everyone climbed out of their boats. Klaus made it a point to keep his head down and remain unseen. He was walking towards the great open door where the giant and the other children were assembling.

Hermione Granger climbed out of the boat after the other girls. Her breath as still coming back to her after seeing the castle in all its glory. Her mind was racing around wildly at all the knowledge in her head about the castle.

Her thoughts were racing because of having to keep her mouth shut during the boat on account of her boat mates wanting to rather talk about makeup or which of the boys looked cute.

She had thought that girls in the magical world were different to those in the non-magical one. But oh was she wrong.

Her thoughts rambled on about how this might be a repeat of her childhood of being friendless. Her thinking took her concentration away from the task of climbing the wet steps. Her foot moved to take a step that was not there and a tiny shriek left her mouth as she felt her centre of gravity tip. She closed her eyes and waited for the wet water to swallow her.

To her surprise the only wetness she felt was the drizzle of the rain on her face. Hermione slowly opened her eyes and saw violet ones looking back at her. She again was left breathless as she was returned to the ground. She wanted to say thank you but in no time the person was gone. She looked around for him but could not find him amongst the students.

Klaus followed McGonagall up the steps along with the other students. He had to admit that Hogwarts was by far the grandest place he'd been in, though it came second to a house in France that he'd once been inside.

The Head of the Lion House stopped them at the top of the steps and told them to wait for her to announce their arrival. Once she left there was silence. Until Draco found interest in a black haired boy. He ignored the spectacle in favour of looking around the castle. While looking his eyes were drawn to a portrait.

In the painting, a man in dark purple robes was grinning sharply as he waved a red spell with his wand and carried lightning in the other hand. The man's cloak had a hood that covered his face. The portrait, it seemed, was not a moving one. The more he looked, the more the portrait pulled him in. The bewitchment ended when McGonagall returned with news that it was time.

The doors opened and the group walked in two lines of gender into the opulent hall. The students gathered started to whisper to each while looking at them. They were the centre of attention. A prickling feeling reached his neck and he narrowed his eyes. He only felt this when someone looked at him with intent. He lifted his head a bit and searched the hall for the onlooker. He found them at the Hufflepuff table. Violet clashed with hazel as a girl with spiky pink hair stared at him. He glared at her and her eyes widened in… recognition?

What did she recognise?

They all stopped in between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables. In front of them sat a three legged stool with a ratty hat atop it. McGonagall pulled out a scroll.

"I shall call each of your names from this scroll, once called please come to the stool and have the hat placed on your head," she instructed.

The names were called out in alphabetical order. He lowered his head and closed his eyes as he awaited his name.

J.

His body started to tense as he awaited his name.

K.

His heart started to pump to the point where he thought everyone could hear it. He changed his breathing to calm himself down. It helped but nervousness still dispersed around his body.

M.

At first he thought he did not hear correctly. He almost lifted his head to see what was going on but abstained from it. He watched as Malfoy strode proudly towards the Slytherin table. How could the information mislead like this. He knew he shouldn't have come, but his mother's words left him without any other choice.

_Trust Cissy._

The name of the person who sent him a letter informing him of his attendance of Hogwarts. He subtly lifted his hood upon his head and took a few steps back. He might have to make a run for it.

"_Calm yourself, there is nothing to be worried about. In exchange for your attendance to Hogwarts we shall take one thing that you hold precious to yourself."_

The whispered voice soothed and when it got to the part about something precious his hand instantly reached up to the necklace on his neck.

Suddenly a roar made him lift up his head. His jaw dropped. A golden lion stood guard growling around the student with the hat on his head. He remembered the name. Harry Potter. He listened to what the nearby students were saying.

"Apparently the appearance of the animal of the house signifies that the house chose you, the last person to be chosen were Dumbledore and Voldemort," someone said.

He relaxed his hand as the children around slowly dwindled until only two were left.

"Blaise Zabini,"

Once that name was called he knew it was the end for him. One carrying a name as hated as the Lestrange one would be no match for everyone in this Hall. But still tensed his arm, the cold steel blade slowly slithering to the edge of his palm.

McGonagall took a small pause as she looked at the scroll and the two boys that stood in front of her. One name, two boys. Something was amiss here.

The only to know who was amiss was to find out whose name was on the scroll.

"Blaise Zabini," she said

The olive skinned boy walked towards the stool and placed the hat on his head. But she wasn't concentrating on that. What had her attention was the dark haired child with his head down. It seemed most of the hall had caught on that something had her attention and found the child who held it. The child's hood covered the sides of his face, while the long hair covered the front. The child stood very rigidly.

"SLYTHERIN,"

Not even so much as a flinch from McGonagall as she stared at the boy. Blaise sat down to the applause of his house and once again the hall was quiet.

The silence carried for a long moment.

"Miss McGonagall there is still one student remaining," Dumbledore said.

"I'm aware, the child's name is not on the scroll,"

Wild whispers broke out instantly. She was about to walk towards the student when the hat shouted.

"SILENCE,"

Silence once more took hold of the room.

"Child, I alone know your name. I'm giving you the chance to keep what's precious to you or to join your fellow wizards at Hogwarts. The choice is yours,"

The child shifted for a moment before taking a long breath and standing in a stance that spoke of defiance.

"I accept," the child said strongly.

"Very well, Druklaus Lestrange will you please raise your head and step forward," the hat said.

The silence was more deafening this time. Dumbledore dropped his glasses in surprise.

Klaus grabbed the hood and lifted it off as he lifted his head, violet eyes staring at the hat as he walked towards it. All in silence.

Until the world roared.

The pure amount of anger and outrage made him pause. He dared not to look around, the cold of the blade reminded him of its presence once more and he slowly hid his hand as he grabbed the hilt. He hid the blade in his long robes. He tensed amidst the noise and awaited the first strike.

"Cease your childish antics and remain silent!" said the hat in such a commanding voice that all the students were cowed into sitting down. All sat down except for one.

Neville Longbottom glared with brown eyes full of hate at Klaus. Klaus felt the prickling feeling once again and met the eyes of Neville. He was surprised at the amount of hate within them. He narrowed his eyes at the boy and did the only thing he knew to do.

He cracked a grin.

The boy's anger seemed to multiply and Klaus didn't know why but he started to chuckle. The boy started to shake in anger until a blue mist surrounded him and suddenly all the anger was gone and the boy sat down dazedly.

Klaus looked to the hat and saw the blue mist leaking from its mouth dissipate.

"Come Druklaus,"

He revealed his blade from the robes and amidst the gasps and shrieks returned to up his arm. He walked to the hat, picked it up and placed it on his head. His vision went black.

"_You seem to have caused quite the ruckus Druklaus, may I call you Klaus?" _

This time the voice seemed to surround him.

"_Yes you may," he replied._

"_The world has recovered much from the war but the name Lestrange still brings both fear and hatred from the hearts of those who survived the war," the hat explained._

"_I knew that already, but why did that boy of all of them want to kill me," _

"_What do you mean?" the hat asked._

"_I sensed everyone's hatred as soon my name was revealed, but from him I sensed killing intent. He actually wanted to kill me," he explained._

"_Yes young Longbottom has lost quite a lot to Bellatrix Lestrange," _

"_Damn," he said._

"_Damn indeed, but all bridges burned have ashes that can be used to cleanse the wounds of the burned,"_

"_But I am not the one who burned him,"_

"_But the one who did carries the same name. Once there is blood on the name-"the hat started _

"_All who carry the name bury the body-"he interrupted_

"_And shall face the living,"_

"_So be it,"_

As Klaus sat atop the stool the rest of Hogwarts stared at him. He grabbed the hat and was about to pull it off when he heard gasps. He paused in his movements as he wondered what was going on.

Then he heard the hissing.

He slowly pulled off the hat and his jaw dropped. A great snake was curled around him, he recognized it.

A basilisk.

It looked at him with golden eyes and hissed one more time.

_Look for me_

The voice echoed in his head and then the snake dispersed into dust and flowed into his robes, turning them green. He stroked the robes and a small smile grew into a grin.

_I got in mum._

The clouds groaned over the restless waves of the North Sea. A tall spire that seemed to reach for the clouds stood on its lonesome dead in the centre.

Azkaban Prison.

Azkaban, a fortress on a lone island with black shores, which was built sometime in the 15th century and has been a place that has been used in scary stories to tell around the fire. The place itself wasn't actually terrifying. What was the cause of terror were its guards.

The Dementors.

Dementors are dark creatures that create an ambiance of coldness, darkness, misery and despair. Because of their power to drain happiness and hope from humans, they have been set the duty of being guards at Azkaban, where they prevent the prisoners from having the will or ability to escape.

What most don't seem to understand from the stories of Dementors is how effective they are at their duty. It has become commonplace for prisoners to be found dead. Suicide or losing the will to live were two of the most prevalent causes. To survive their affects one has to be of both strong mind and soul. But that is a double edged blade in itself. Because Dementor's consume one thing and one thing only.

Souls.

The taking of a soul by the creature was called a Dementor's Kiss. The creatures can use human happiness as sustenance to stay strong but what really gets them going were souls. The stronger the will of the soul the more it tantalized them.

Azkaban was set up in a way that lowly criminals were on the lower levels, with little to no Dementor activity and as the levels increased so did the creature's presence. At the highest level were the worst of the worst in crime.

Drug lords, murderers and rapists to name a few. But there was one prisoner that the Dementors both couldn't resist and couldn't consume.

That prisoner was Bellatrix Lestrange.

Since her capture after the Blood War Bellatrix has managed to keep her sanity intact by meditating day and night nonstop, only ever stopping to eat before going back into her meditative state.

This constant meditation kept her will strong and soul stronger but it was taxing on her mental strength. See the bricks used to build Azkaban were inscribed with advanced runes that used the prisoner's own magic to power the cells. This can be combatted by keeping magical fluctuation to the bare minimum.

Bellatrix's meditation accomplishes this but the mental strain it takes to keep the magic from spilling out of her core unnecessarily was tiring. To do so without fail required something to hold onto. Something that gives a person that conviction to live.

The sound of a door opening echoed throughout the hallway. A bright light flooded the hall causing the Dementor's to screech and scurry away.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, groans from prisoners could be hear as the feet walked on unimpeded. They stopped in front of her door. For a long moment the person just stood there. Her meditation squashed under her curiosity. The person let out a small cough and threw something into the slot under the door that was used for food.

"Renew your conviction," was all the figure said before he was gone.

Bellatrix looked curiously at the object before picking it up. It was a rolled up newspaper. Her brows furrowed as she unrolled the paper. As she unrolled the paper a small bag fell out of it. She opened the top to see small yellow sweets.

Odd.

She ignored it in favour of opening the paper. Once she saw what was on the cover of the paper her eyes widened and for the first time in eleven years, Bellatrix smiled.

On that day the Azkaban aurors had a tough time controlling the Dementors as they all seemed drawn to the very top of the tower. Inside that section in a lone room, Bellatrix Lestrange sat in meditation with a smile in her face and a sweet in her mouth.

Her sister had kept her promise. Her baby was at Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Klaus sat next to Draco, as he was only person he knew. He was still being looked at weirdly by people who thought they were being inconspicuous.

They failed miserably.

Quite a few thoughts were racing through his head, most prominent among them was what he had to sacrifice to enter Hogwarts. He scoffed at how he had thought it would be the necklace his mom left him but it seemed that he held something as close to his heart as the necklace.

His anonymity.

For years he had been the only one he could rely on. The books his mother left him taught him how to behave as a pureblood and the roles of different families as the cogs of the wizarding world as well as how to stay hidden without the use of magic. She had also left him a copy of the Daily Prophet that updated itself on the latest news. So that was how he kept himself hidden all these years, but it was not that hard in the first place as the world never even knew that he existed.

The pureblood mannerisms that the book told him was appropriate for their stations was quite interesting to read. He took on some of them but left others as they seemed useless in the long run. Such as the rule that all muggles and muggleborn were inferior. Having hid in the muggle world a few times he knew intimately that muggles were one of the least weak beings on this planet.

But having that knowledge also gave him the ability to understand why purebloods fear muggles as much as they do. Because it seems that purebloods have an innate ability to sense 'power'. Not physical or magical, just the power to do. In this world, muggles were the only race that had the same amount of potential power as magical folk.

This made him come up with his own rule: respect only equals no matter their race, tolerate all others.

Klaus was so lost in his thoughts that when Draco tapped his shoulder he jolted. He looked at the boy questioningly.

"You seemed lost in thought. Dinner has been served," Draco said pointing to the spread of food laid out on the long table.

His mouth watered and his stomach groaned.

He had not eaten since the rabbit he caught in the morning and he had not considered that very filling. There was so much food that he did not know where to start. Draco must have seen this as he pointed out some chicken that he said tasted good. Klaus filled his plate with the chicken and closed his eyes and crossed his hands.

_Smoke and Air_

_Fire and Earth_

_Cleanse and bless_

_This home and hearth_

_Drive away all _

_Harm and Fear_

_Only good may enter here_

He opened his eyes and started to dig in. Unbeknownst to him, all the other occupants of the hall had felt itchy and uncomfortable during his small prayer, though they knew not the cause. But one pair of twinkling blue eyes stared at the young Lestrange in curiosity.

As Klaus was about to dig in on his second serving of lamb chops someone tapped his shoulder.

What was it with people tapping his shoulder when he was busy?

He swallowed a big bite and turned around. A girl with long flowing silver hair and piercing grey eyes looked down at him. She was definitely a pureblood, her high cheekbones and fair skin led credence to that. She was strikingly familiar though.

"The Headmaster would like you to talk to you in his office after your orientation," the girl said and she turned and walked away as soon as she was done.

With his eyebrows furrowed he turned back to his meal before turning to Draco with a question on his lips. But the boy was already ahead of him.

"Her name is Luciana. She's my older sister in fifth year," Draco said.

"Good to know, but which one is the Headmaster?" he asked. Draco paused and gave Klaus a look.

Harry Potter happily ate his Shepard's pie as he thought about the letter he would write to his mum and dad about his acceptance into Gryffindor. He knew they would be overjoyed but he also knew what would occupy their minds.

Druklaus Lestrange.

He was young but he wasn't so naïve to not know that the news of the Slytherin's surface would send waves into the wizarding world that would be higher than his survival of the killing curse.

As he polished off the last of his Shepard's pie he thought about how Uncle Frank would react to this news. If Neville's reaction was any indication then there was no love lost.

As he went to grab a helping of beef stew he felt a faint itch on his neck and looked up long enough for emerald to lock with amethyst. The boy's eyes appeared to be bright with curiosity but the longer he stared into them the more his heart raced. His fingers started to itch irritatingly and as he looked down at them, he felt a weight being lifted off of him.

He looked back at Klaus but the boy was more occupied in polishing a plate of lamb chops.

What the hell was that?

Klaus followed behind Draco as they walked down into the depths of the castle. At first they walked alongside the Hufflepuffs but they split up form them at a higher level as the Slytherin's descended deeper.

The locations of the houses made sense. The Ravenclaw House at the highest tower. The Gryffindor House somewhere below them. Then the lower levels belonged to the Hufflepuff House and the deepest part was the Slytherin House's territory.

Ravens in the sky. Lions on the land. Badgers in their burrows. Snakes in their pits.

And from all the talk Draco was spewing he guessed that was how it really was down here. A Viper's Nest. No mercy and all cunning. Only the strong had influence down here. A small smile stretched his along his face as he thought about how this was his house. All his life he had lived of mind that the only those who are powerful to can do what they want unchallenged.

And it seems that phrase was what was represented by this house.

He could still feel eyes on him but this time he couldn't find the onlookers. It seemed that Slytherin's were more subtle with their observations. His eyes lost focus and he moved on autopilot as he bathed in his thoughts.

Klaus knew that Hogwarts was an option and that if he wished he could have remained in hiding. He knew that he could have consolidated his power without Hogwarts and with his anonymity still in hand. But his mom's note warned him about growing in the dark. So he wrote a letter to this 'Cissy' and it seemed that this person was connected to Draco's father.

But that was not his only reason.

In his Daily Prophet an article was written about how the Lestrange estates would be sold off since there were no heirs or living members. His blood ran hot at those words. He felt deeply disturbed with his the thought of his family home being sold off. The coffers were already emptied by the Ministry. He knew getting that money back from them would be fruitless. So he had to find a way to raise the flag of his house back into the air.

That would be quite a mission indeed.

They finally stopped in front of a wall. The prefect turned to them with a grim look on his face.

"The location of the Slytherin common room, along with other common rooms, is a cherished secret among the Houses. No House knows of the others locations. And it shall stay this way, am I clear?" he said. The students nodded.

"Good. The password is changed every month. Should you not find out what it is then you shall sleep in the passageway and hope that your allies shall aid you," he finished and turned to the wall.

"Basilisk," the wall then slowly rippled and disappeared revealing the common room. They all walked in and he turned to the door quickly enough to see the wall melting back into place. Neat trick.

The common room was quite immaculate. Stone walls with a vaulted ceiling. Green furniture surrounded the fireplace that burned with a green flame. There was a glass wall that held the Black Lake on one side and the dark depths of the lake gave the room quite the ominous atmosphere.

They all stopped in front of three upper year students. The prefect that lead them went to stand at the side of the room. It was obvious that the three upper years were to be respected.

The boy in the middle stepped forward. He had dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyes that seemed black in the room.

"My name is Icarus Avery and I am a Seventh year. For years it has been the eldest to teach the young how things are done in this House. First and foremost, there are three circles of hierarchy in this House. Third, Second and First years are the lowest circle. Fourth and Fifth years are the second circle, Seventh and Sixth years are the first circle. And that is how orders are given. Know your place," he seemed to leave that in the air to make sure that it was absorbed. Klaus raised his hand. This time everyone shamelessly looked at him. Draco seemed to warn him to lower his hand with those grey eyes.

"Lestrange," Icarus prompted.

"In these circles of hierarchy can I increase my rank if I prove more capable than those above me?" he asked. Silence hung in the air for a while. Icarus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and stared deep into his. His eyes began to itch and by instinct he immediately focused on Icarus' nose. His gut told him that the eyes were dangerous. A small smirk creeped onto Icarus' face.

"Ambition is a trait that is nurtured here in Slytherin. It is our life blood and Cunning is the heart. But be careful to not let greed taint the blood and poison the heart," Icarus said. He gulped but did not back down. If he backed down he would never be respected again.

"It is not greed. I just want to know that if I have the might, do I have the right," he said. Icarus raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"That is quite old school Lestrange, I'm surprised you even know that Law," Icarus said.

"It is the only law I live by," he stated.

"Then it shall apply to you. I am curious how you shall survive. From now on you Druklaus Lestrange may use the law of might to climb the rank. But this comes with the condition that that is the only way for you to climb the ladder. And that no is always an option for your opponent. Do you accept?" Icarus said.

"I accept," he replied without hesitation.

"Good," with no warning whatsoever a flash of light collided with him and with a crack he crashed into the wall. He coughed as he tried to catch his breath and stood up as quickly as he could. He looked up to see Icarus sheathing his wand.

"But until you rank up. Know Your Place," Icarus emphasised. Klaus wiped his mouth of the blood dripping out of it. He understood. Until he was on equal footing with Icarus, he had to obey his superiors. And he knew in his gut that Icarus would accept no challenge unless it was with an equal. He nodded. Icarus nodded in satisfaction.

"Good, now then. Secondly, we Slytherin are a united force. Outside these walls we are brother and sister against everyone else. We do not air our laundry for the other Houses to see. If you have a quarrel with another Slytherin, solve it inside these walls and back each other outside these walls. Understood?" he asked. Everyone nodded, even Klaus as he re-joined his year mates.

"That is all. You shall follow Jacob to your dorms boys and girls shall follow Luciana to theirs," he said and turned to leave. But before he was gone, he turned back to them.

"Lestrange go up to the Headmaster, you fell down the stairs on the way there. Find a way to heal your wounds," and with that Icarus was gone.

Klaus coughed out a laugh. This House was proving more than fitting for him.

Klaus walked back to the Slytherin dorms bitterly. He hated this feeling of weakness. Back in the forest he was the strongest and now suddenly at the bottom of the food chain.

It seemed that a few seconds into his conversation Dumbledore seemed to glean from him that he only respected power. So the Headmaster flexed that power for a few seconds.

Those were the longest seconds of his life.

It seemed as if the whole world was pushing against him. His senses were going crazy telling him of danger. Until it was over. Dumbledore then merely smiled and asked him about where lived up until now. He did not answer and Dumbledore accepted that but asked where he planned to live now.

"I plan to live in the Dragon's Keep, the family estate," he replied.

"But it is ruins, Hogwarts serves as a boarding house for those with nowhere to go," Dumbledore said kindly.

"As long as the land is mine then I have somewhere to go. If it is in ruins then I shall be the Lestrange that rebuilds it," Klaus said strongly. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and he gave him a smile.

"Then build my dear boy, build. But know that as soon as Hogwarts placed you in Slytherin, you became her son and she shall always give you a roof with a warm plate," Dumbledore said before dismissing him.

Klaus finally made it to the common room and found it empty, guess curfew had struck while he was talking to Dumbledore. He made his way down the boy's passage and found that each dorm had a door for each boy. As he walked he felt reality slip and suddenly found himself at his door. He looked to the entrance of the passageway and it seemed so far away. He shrugged and entered his dorm. The dorm was pretty luxurious. With a bed covered by curtains, his small trunk with his meagre belongings at the foot of the bed. He stripped himself down to his briefs and fell into the bed.

He failed to fall asleep many times until the frustration won out and he grabbed the blankets and the sheets. He found the warmest part of the floor and arranged them into a small nest fit for him. He burrowed into the nest and instantly fell asleep. 

A/N: Beta Wanted.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

_The boy ran through the dark forest blinded by its thick brush. But he knew he couldn't slow down. His reason for that caused the ground right next to him to explode, sending him right into a spiky bush._

_The boy struggled to stand as catching his breath became increasingly harder. He looked up to see hateful eyes glaring at him before a purple light slammed into him._

Klaus woke up with a gasp. His breathing was rugged as he gripped the small knife in his defence all his muscles tense and violet eyes glaring into the darkness. After slowing his heart down he sighed and fell back into the bed nest.

"Well I guess sleep won't be an option tonight," he said into the darkness. As he took a deep breath he noticed that the air smelt of… ozone.

Odd.

He sat up in his bed and reached for his trunk. It was a normal brown trunk. And he meant it when he said it was normal, those charmed trunks with infinite space were hard to come by without money. But he didn't mind, as long as it served its purpose. Inside laid all of his possessions.

The books his mother left him. Two spare robes, three changes of clothes and a bag of twenty galleons sent to him from this 'Cissy' person. And finally his wand. He stared at the piece of wood with hesitation. When he had first touched it, he had felt such a chilling feeling and it felt as if his very soul was touched by this cold feeling.

He had had nightmares about the chill. Him being surrounded by endless cold, as if it was an entity that surrounded him and wanted to consume him. When he tried to give the wand back to the one who made it for him the person had mysteriously disappeared. He had thought about throwing it away but then remembering all he went through to get it made him think twice about doing so.

The wand itself was a bone white wood from an albino Blackthorn tree. The core was of a Ukrainian Ironbelly. Its spinal fluid if he remembered correctly. The wand maker had said that he should tell no one what his core is. When he had asked why the man had just shrugged and grinned saying that it was a bad idea.

He reached into the trunk and his hand shook as it hovered above the wand. He could feel the cold attaching itself to him already. He closed his eyes and grabbed it. For a moment nothing happened and he breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling felt… docile. He reached back into the trunk and took the sheath for the wand. It was black dragon hide.

The wand maker was more attentive then he gave him credit for. He only noticed now that the sheath had tiny pockets for needle daggers, a dagger he was fond of using. He took out the daggers and slipped six into their places. Lastly he slipped his wand in and tested the trigger that sprung his wand into his hand. Having done this with his knife many times it was simpler with a wand that had no sharp edge to cut himself.

According to the timetable given to him at dinner, he didn't have classes until Monday. It was Saturday so that meant he had plenty of time of acquaint himself with the castle and especially its library. Because in the library there were books, and in those books there were spells. His mother had not left him any spell books, he thought it odd considering she left him a book about how to build knives and other tools of death.

He shook the thoughts from his head and put on the spare change of clothes. A black long-sleeved shirt and some dark blue jeans. He laced up the black boots before he tied up his shoulder length hair in a high ponytail and after making sure he did not leave anything behind he walked out into the dark hall.

He entered the common room and was surprised that there was someone present. The sun was not even up yet. He tried his best to walk stealthily to the entrance but it was not to be.

"Lestrange," said the girl.

"Damn it," he muttered and turned around to face the person. Upon closer inspection he saw that it was Luciana.

"Oh, morning Luciana," he greeted awkwardly. She was dressed in her uniform and was seated reading a book. The only indication that she even heard him was the eyebrow raise.

"Up to trouble so early in the morning are we?" she asked.

"Trouble seems a bit extreme, more like exploring," he replied. She chuckled.

"Exploring, huh. Just make sure your exploring doesn't get you into trouble. What impacts you, impacts the house," she explained.

"What do you mean?" he asked confused. She sighed and looked at him with those same grey eyes as Draco, except more catlike. He swore her pupils elongated but it could just be a trick of the light.

"We at Hogwarts have a system called the House Point. Points are given for good deeds and taken away for bad deeds. With me so far?" she asked sarcastically. He nodded regardless.

"The giving of these points are not contained, meaning that one student could gain a thousand points or lose a thousand points for his house," she finished.

"So I could, in theory, lose all the house points with one stupid move," he summarised.

"Exactly. These points at the end of the year are tallied and the House with the most points gets the House Cup," she continued. He lowered his head in disappointment.

"So does that mean I have to go back to bed," he asked. She smirked.

"No, it means don't get caught," she smirked as she saw him lift up his head in excitement before she stood up, dusted her robes and walked towards the fifth year hallway. Before she entered she paused.

"Information is a currency in Slytherin. So this works both ways. I've given you information which means I will be needing some in return," she explained. He furrowed his brows.

"What kind of information?" he asked. She chuckled slowly.

"You'll know when you hear it, so will I of course. But I can't be everywhere at once," she sighed.

"Okay," he agreed and was about to leave when a question popped into his mind.

"Um, Luciana before you go, do you know where the kitchens are?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Maybe," she said before leaving.

He shook his head at his own stupidity. Information for information. She wouldn't give him it for free. He walked towards the entrance and after a long walk made it out of the dungeons.

"He seems… eager," Icarus said as he took down his disillusionment. Luciana walked back into the room and raised a brow at the Seventh year.

"How'd you know he'd be awake at this time?" she asked. Icarus looked at her with dark eyes that seemed to absorb the light.

"Just a hunch," he said with a far off look in his eyes.

"I'm curious about your interest in him," Luciana said as she sat down on a green couch.

"Then curb your curiosity, your place in my machinations is as support to him," he said. She raised a brow at him in annoyance.

"Do I look like a babysitter?" she hissed.

"Considering you babysit my little brother on occasion," he left the statement hanging in the air. She huffed irritably.

"He does not need a babysitter, he just needs someone to teach him how to survive in this world," he said.

"He seemed fine to me," she said.

"That's only on the surface. You and I were raised differently than him. You were taught how to use that cunning and tactical mind that runs in your parent's blood. I was taught how to harness my ruthlessness to cultivate my power. If I lack the ability to do something, I either try learn it or get someone else to do it," he explained looking at her, prompting her.

"From what I heard from my mom and dad he was in the Russian wilderness. How he got to there from Britain I have no clue, but my mom is responsible for guiding him back here," she said.

"Information gathering. Incredibly useful once mastered," he smirked, "As for how he got to Russia, probably ran into people who found out about him and weren't fans of his family,"

"But how would they find out?" she asked. Aunty Bella was quite secretive if she wanted to be, her mother only knew about Klaus because of the clues Bella left.

"A false sense of security is easy to fall into," he said simply, "Either that or his eyes gave him away. As far everyone knows, the Mistress of Pain has purple eyes and those who have survived her dream of those eyes."

"Sucks for him. But that still doesn't explain how he was raised differently. Bellatrix probably organised a pureblood lackey to watch over him," she said.

"The only one who gathered as much fear and hate as the Dark Lord, was Bellatrix Lestrange. She had many enemies, both inside the Death Eaters and outside of it. Her own sister didn't know about the child, who else could she trust with him?" he asked.

"No one," she realized as she connected the dots.

"So Klaus raised himself. With no mother. No family. No magic," he said.

"I kind of feel bad for him now," Luciana said as she thought about her family.

"Don't," the finality in his tone made her tense.

"There are benefits to growing up like that. Independence, survival skills and the mind set he developed. He's really taken in by jungle law," he said.

"Jungle law?" she asked.

"Have you ever heard of the Law of Might," he asked.

"Didn't Klaus mention something about might during orientation?"

"Yes. Simply, the Law of Might states that those who are powerful can do whatever they want because they can," he explained, "That is the only law out there in the wilderness. When all you face is predators and their behaviours you have to get used to that way of life quick or you die,"

"So you think those instincts might carry over?" she surmised.

"They already have," he said remembering the nest that the boy had created in his room. Luciana needed to tell the boy to secure his things better.

The Black Lake started to glow and Icarus sighed.

"The sun is rising, it was a nice chat Luciana. Keep me updated," he said about to leave.

"Hmm hmm," she said loudly. He sighed and tossed something from his robes to her. She caught it deftly and looked inside before nodding in satisfaction.

Icarus rolled his eyes and left. Though he did chuckle in amusement that Luciana had not noticed that Klaus was moving normally despite the concussion spell he hit him with. The spell was low level but is packed a punch and the boy slept with no healing spell whatsoever

Interesting.

After asking portrait after portrait he finally found the library. He really needed to learn where everything is because there was portraits that he did not have the patience to talk to.

As soon as he walked in his jaw dropped at the sheer volume of books. There were some books flapping towards different aisles, probably their sections. As he continued to marvel he saw an old lady waving her wand and sending huge towers of books down the aisles. He walked up to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Yes?" she responded without turning around.

"Mam, where are the books about duelling?" he asked.

"Firsties don't get books on duelling," she stated. He huffed.

"Okay, where are the books on self-protection using violent methods?" he asked again. She let out a little chuckle.

"Cheeky but you are still don't have the authorization," she shut him down coldly.

"Fine can I at least see the books about healing spells," he grumbled. "Right over there dear," she pointed to an aisle on her left.

"Thank you," he said and stomped off irritated in the direction she pointed to. Pince smiled.

"Just as smart-mouthed as his mother," she commented before moving to her booth.

Klaus perused through the books but none of them seemed to catch his eye. Suddenly a smell caught his nose.

The smell of charred pine.

It was his favourite scent, he didn't know why but it always made his heart warm. He followed the smell to a book that seemed to just sit there innocently. But the fact that it looked so out of place made him interested. With its black leather cover and it had an odd vibe to it. It was like when a predator sizes you up to decide whether to attack you or flee. He gulped but still grabbed the book. He read the embossed words on the front.

To Raze and To Maim: The Black Arts.

"Raze? Maim? What the hell type of healing book was this?" he mumbled as he took it off the shelf. The librarian probably misplaced this book. He grinned and chuckled at his luck. Of course he would bring it back, when he was done of course.

He grabbed a few other books to take out so as to not look suspicious. Though he made sure they would be useful. As he sat down at a table he contemplated how he would sneak out of here unsuspiciously.

He suddenly spotted the librarian lady going into an aisle and knew that now was his chance. He grabbed all the books and ran as quietly as he could to the door.

"Hold it right there," a voice said and suddenly Klaus was in the air. He floated upside and came face to face with the business end of the librarian lady's wand.

"Oh crap," he muttered. Busted.

"Where do you think you're going with these," she started. Oh he should've know that it wouldn't be this easy.

"Just like everyone else you have to follow the rules, you will need to check these books out," she said. He furrowed his brows in confusion. Did she not see the book? He looked around subtle-like. The healing books floated gracefully next to the lady but he couldn't spot the book.

Where'd it go?

"Um yes I would like to check these books out," he replied.

Klaus was still puzzled about where the book went as he walked down the hall in the direction he believed the Great Hall was. Maybe he couldn't take out books that the lady didn't check out for him. He knew it would be too good to be true.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Klaus rubbed his rumbling stomach as he walked through another identical corridor. He cursed under his breath as he felt that finding the Great Hall might be beyond him.

He looked outside and instantly knew that the time for breakfast was quickly running out. As he despaired over not tasting the delicious food from last night his nose sharply picked up something. Something tasty, something delicious.

Food.

Fuelled by hunger he started running towards the smell. As he turned corners he ran into more and more students. More students were in the halls and he could see some of them rubbing their stomachs in satisfaction. Envy tainted his heart and pushed him to trace that smell.

But the smell started to grow fainter and panic surged through him. He took a corner a bit too quick and almost collided into a student. Thanks to instinct he jumped out of the way towards the opposite wall. While he was in the air he managed to look at who he almost bumped into. She had brownish hair and even darker brown eyes but that was all he caught before he jumped off the wall, using the momentum to push down the corridor as he sensed the smell grow even fainter.

Hermione stood against the wall looking at the retreating figure of her classmate. Druklaus Lestrange. She managed to catch his eyes. The same eyes that saved her from falling last night. The only person with violet eyes in her year so it would be hard to mistake him.

Wonder where he was running off to?

Klaus stopped completely as the smell completely disappeared. He looked into the hallway that he was in. Identical hallway as the others but this one had one big wall painting of a bowl of fruit.

"Dammit,"

He kicked the floor as he frowned at his loss. Seems that food would be hard to find alone.

"Good Morning Druklaus," said a voice behind him. Klaus tensed and turned around to see Icarus standing in the middle of the hallway. The senior stood there with a small amused smile and blank blue eyes.

"Morning Icarus," he replied with a nod, never taking his eye off Icarus. It seemed that Icarus caught the gesture and the small smile grew a bit.

"No need to be tense Klaus, may I call you Klaus?" Icarus asked as he walked towards him. He nodded.

"What you looking for?" asked Icarus.

"Food," he replied.

"Why not go to the Great Hall to eat?"

"I got lost looking for it," he admitted. Icarus chuckled.

"So what brought you here, the way you ran it seemed like you were onto something," Icarus asked as he stared at the painting with interest.

"Did you follow me?" asked Klaus with narrowed eyes. Icarus' eyes snapped to him and suddenly Klaus felt pressure trying to crush him.

"I apologise for my rudeness," Klaus gritted out. Icarus eyes looked away from him and the pressure instantly disappeared.

He was no stranger to hierarchy and who is the Apex Predator at the top of the food chain. But coming from an environment where he was at the top he was aware of how hard it would be to submit. But it looked like there was no other option.

"Getting on my bad side is not something you want Klaus, especially in the circle you prowl in," Icarus warned in an emotionless voice. Suddenly the tense atmosphere disappeared as Icarus' small smile returned.

"So how about a trade?" he asked. Klaus looked at him in confusion.

"What would I get?" he asked.

"I will give you a chance to climb the circle, if you're patient and have the will to climb," Icarus explained vaguely.

"Why would you help me?" Icarus smirked down at him.

"You're learning. Of course this is a trade so you know that what I want from you is no small thing," Icarus said.

"It would be suspicious if it were anything but," he pointed out.

"So would you be willing to trade?" Icarus asked. Klaus thought about this offer.

He knew that the higher he climbed, the more breathing room he would have and the more benefits. But he also knew the higher you climbed the more dangerous the enemies become. And the enemies knew more magic more than he did, which was zero. The more he thought about this offer the more drawbacks he found in it. But it would be a waste to let this slip by.

"I would like to something different, climbing the circle right now would be useless if I can't stay there," he replied resolutely. Icarus looked at him for a long moment before chuckling.

"Smart boy. Ascend with the power to stay in the air. So what would you like?" he asked.

"The location of the kitchens. All that food I saw yesterday, it has to come from somewhere," he stated. Icarus raised a brow.

"You already found it, this painting is the doorway and you just have to find the door knob. I'll let you do that in your own time," Icarus explained. Klaus looked at the painting in wonder and suspicion.

"Be grateful that I'm showing you such mercy. Usually I would have given you this information for way more than it's worth, learn to negotiate. Ask for something **more**," Icarus stressed.

Klaus thought hard about what he wanted. There wasn't much that he wanted in terms of material possessions. His eyes widened in revelation.

"I want the duelling books above my year level," he stated.

"I can organize that, so we have an accord?" Icarus asked. He narrowed his eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked. Icarus grinned savagely. It gave Klaus shivers.

"Caught me out on that did you. Follow me," Icarus said and turned to start walking down the hall. Klaus followed closely behind. They stopped at the balcony overlooking the moving staircase.

"You see those two redheads down there," Klaus looked down and spotted the twin redheads. They stood on a staircase talking in hushed tones. He nodded.

"George and Fred Weasley. As you are new you don't understand how much of a nuisance those two pranksters are. What I need you to do will help me keep their pranks off of the higher echelons of Slytherin," Icarus explained.

"So move them to annoying us at the bottom instead," he said.

"Last year I noticed how much they began to move to pranking the sixth or seventh years in our house. So we just need remind them of their places," Icarus explained.

"Seems like you do that a lot,"

"Everyone needs a hobby," Icarus shrugged.

"So why can't you do it yourself?" he asked.

"My magic is not exactly subtle. They'll feel it if I do it. I'm going to give you a spell and by the end of the week I want it on one of them. Once it is done then your books will be available to you, understood?" The plan was simple enough, learn a spell, tag the target and done. Klaus nodded.

"But I'm guessing tagging them is not going to be a small task, is it?" he asked. He received no reply and looked to his side to see that Icarus was gone and in his place sat a neatly wrapped piece of paper.

"Awesome,"

Klaus had lived in places where noise could get you killed but Icarus seemed to be on another level of stealth. He picked the paper up and walked all the way back to the portrait of the fruit bowl. After doing all kinds of poking and prodding the green pear started to giggle, startling him for a second, before it turned into a doorknob. The doorway opened slowly and his senses lit up at the stimuli. Delicious smells caressed his nose, the sounds of metal pans shocked his ears and he smiled as the sight of eggs and sausages caught his eye. What also caught his eye were the chefs. Tiny little creatures with large ears and large eyes.

"Heaven is real," and with those words he entered the kitchens.

The house elves had to be the nicest creatures ever. They seemed to sense that he was hungry and sat him down with a plate of food. He even talked to some of them.

Klaus rubbed his stomach in contentment. He was on his way to the dungeons to start learning the spell when after he passed a corridor he felt eyes on him. Taking a corner with a quick glance showed that no one was behind him but the prickly feeling wouldn't leave him. The person following him must be hidden somewhere. That meant he couldn't go to the dungeons until he shook them off.

Klaus had read in a book once that the natural energy in the body was constantly flowing. Within the body and outside the body. How the energy flows out in through the senses: the nose, the fingers, the ears, the mouth and the eyes. These senses in particular have directional energy. Four of these take in energy in and interpret it but only one can take in energy and release it.

The eyes.

Humans are sensitive to energy, magical folk even more so, which is why we can feel it when we are being watched. The eyes of the watcher are pushing their energy onto you and your body reacts to that by tensing up. Usually we can't determine from where we are being watched but through practise and training to sense directional energies it becomes easy to tell where the energy is coming from.

The person following him was keeping their distance. Smart but in a place with so many turns it would become difficult to keep track of someone. He turned the corner and walked quickly to take a turn and silently slid into a shadowed area that allowed him to see who might be following him.

The person stepped into the hall and Klaus' eyes widened when he saw that his stalker was just a blur in the air. Invisible like a chameleon, seems like it has the same drawbacks as well. If it moved then the camouflage was useless.

The person, thinking that they had lost him, dropped the invisibility spell and his eyes widened at who he the person was. It was the girl from the Great Hall with the spiky pink hair. She seemed to really want to find him as she looked around for him frantically. Well that was tough for her, talking was not something he liked to do.

Laughter came from down the hall and Klaus raised his brow when he saw his targets approach pink hair.

"Merry Morning,"

"Tonks,"

"You seem to be,"

"In quite the frenzy,"

Klaus stifled a groan at the headache listening to these two was causing him. He now understood what Icarus meant when he called these two 'annoyances'. He was now having second thoughts about making these two his year's problem.

"Wotcher you two, I am a bit frazzled. I was following someone and I've just lost him," she replied.

"Isn't that a little too weird, even for you Tonks," he couldn't tell either apart so he would call the one on the left Fred and the other on George.

"Shut it, I just want to talk to him," she explained, eyes still roaming looking for traces of him. He made sure to stay extra still and narrowed his eyes to make him less visible.

"Let us guess," George started.

"Druklaus Lestrange," Fred finished. Tonks started in surprise.

"How'd you guess?" she asked.

"Makes sense," Fred said.

"Your mum's sister's son," George started.

"Which makes him her cousin,"

"Thank You Gred, and according to sources you have two cousins that have come,"

"That doesn't really tell me why you think I'm looking for Druklaus," she pointed out.

"It's more likely that you've met Draco before and if he's like anything like his father you wouldn't want to meet him again," George explained.

"And since the wizarding world did not know that the Queen of Pain had a child, we can assume you've never met him," Fred continued.

"Thusly, Tonksy is looking for a Lestrange," they finished in unison. Tonks just stared at them wide eyed. Klaus was also tempted to do so as well. That was quite the deduction, these two weren't as idiotic as he had thought. That teaches him not to underestimate his prey, getting that spell on them would actually be quite the challenge.

"Have I ever told you that you two would make good detectives," Tonks smiled.

"But alas being an Auror is your dream," George despaired.

"But concerning your problem we may have a solution," Fred said as he motioned for George to take out something. Klaus senses started to go crazy at that motion.

"DANGER," was all his senses were screaming, he trying to lean closer to see what it was they were taking out. He focused his nose and smelled parchment.

What was so dangerous about paper?

"Oh, I almost forgot about your stalker map," Tonks said slapping her forehead.

Stalker? Map? That couldn't possibly do what he thinks it does.

"I wouldn't go as far as stalker map," Fred grinned. As George took a small square of paper and begun to unfold it, Klaus finally listened to his instincts and began to quietly sneak away. He made it to a dead-end when he heard Tonks.

"He's right down this hall, why are all the torches out this way," so that stupid map could find people. This was trouble, he really didn't want to talk to his supposed cousin. Of course he had considered that he probably had family, but growing up in the wildlands kind of made him numb to everyone but his mother.

Hisss.

Klaus turned around quickly to see a door where there was once none. He frowned and backed away from it suspiciously. Going back and confronting her was always an option but he was feeling especially cowardly today. Just not desperate to go into some weird door.

"Lumos," one by one the torches started to turn on one by one. Klaus closed his eyes and breathed as he made his decision.

Tonks, Fred and George stood at the edge of the passage dumbfounded as they looked at Druklaus' name was now gone from the map.

Klaus walked down the dimly lit hall that the door had taken him to. What was odd was that just like the boys dorm hallway in the dungeons, he didn't remember how he got out the door.

Klaus suddenly stopped when he felt a strong predatory vibe. He instantly dropped into a crouch, mouth set in a snarl and eyes wide taking in as much as possible. He could hear his heartbeat beating strongly in his ears as he focused on where this vibe could be coming from.

It felt like he was back in the wildlands. Crouched and prowling on all fours, each step quieter than the last and pulse racing with adrenaline. The deeper he went down the hall the stronger the vibe was. He reached a doorway and pushed it open. Torches suddenly lit the way down to a door at the end of the hall.

The vibe was the strongest at this door. The door was chained and bolted, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to pass through it. Not without a spell or at least a really strong axe.

He put a hand to the door and tried to feel out what was behind it. For a long time he felt nothing until he felt a small pulse. He furrowed his brows and strengthened the sense. Suddenly he was pushed back from the door. He held his chest as the door was violently pushed and pawed at by the growling beast behind it. Before the push he had felt something very familiar.

Whose idea was it to place a Cerberus in a school?

Klaus gave a look in the direction of the door as the moving staircase moved him away from the third floor. This was very interesting, he wondered who else knew about this. Maybe he could give this to Luciana to square them, he had a feeling that owing her was a bad idea.

Tired from his explorations, Klaus sat heavily on the sofa. There were few students around as they all seemed to be excitedly moving around the castle or attending to other things. He felt himself get lost as he looked into the green flame of the fire.

"Earth to Klaus," he 'woke up' from his trance as he heard his name being called. He looked to see that it was Luciana. She sat in the same spot as the morning.

"Oh hey Luciana, I seem to have zoned out for a bit," he said.

"Penny for your thoughts," she offered. He chuckled.

"Unless you got a penny to give back, I must decline," he replied. Luciana had a hint of a smirk on her face.

"Clever boy. But you know my mother is your mother's sister-"

"And that makes me, you and Draco cousins," he finished. She looked annoyed at being interrupted.

"Yes it does. That means we are family. Family is an important thing to us Malfoy's. You can always trust family," she explained.

"Even Tonks?" he asked.

Luciana raised a brow in surprise.

"Oh so you've met our estranged cousin I see," she said. He noticed the venom in her words this time.

"I haven't met her face to face if that's what you mean, I just found out she exists today," he said sounding lost in thought. He shook his head and focused his eyes on Luciana.

"I have some information that I think would square us for this morning," he proposed. She immediately snapped out her wand and waved it while whispering.

"_Sonus solvo_," a dome appeared that covered the both of them before disappearing. "Can't have you giving information away for free."

"Well that was certainly quick, go on," she said with an amused smile.

"You know the twins with the red hair?" he asked. Luciana snarled in disgust.

"You mean those two vermin nuisances that sullies the reputation of the pureblood elite? Yes I know of them," she said. His eyes were wide at the vehemence of the insults.

"Well, they have a map that allows them to see the locations of people," he told her. Her eyes widened and she sat in back slowly.

"That makes so much sense," she said.

"What?"

"How they do some of the things they do," she said vaguely.

"Otherwise, that was quite the information. We're even now, dinner is in a few minutes and if that's all," she said as she stood and began to wave her wand.

"Wait, I have more information. I want a trade," he stopped her. She looked at him for a long moment and sat down. She gestured for him to continue.

"I want to know about my family," he said. She sighed as if she knew he would ask that.

"One piece of advice for free, learn how to disguise your desire when asking for something. It makes it real easy for someone to give you ogre shit for gold," she warned.

"You better have something really juicy in exchange for such information," she said.

"I know what's on the third floor," he said. Her eyes widened in curiosity.

"You're quite the explorer aren't you?" she remarked.

"Do we have an accord?" he asked using Icarus' words. She considered it in her head and finally nodded.

"It's a Cerberus," he said. The colour drained from her face.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"One hundred percent," he nodded resolutely.

"I wonder what they're guarding," she hummed to herself.

"Guarding?"

"Come on, a beast like that in a place like this. They have to be guarding some high level stuff. No wonder Dumbledore didn't want anyone up there," she said.

"Well that was juicy so I will do my part," she said as she stood up. He furrowed his brows.

"Hey wait where are you going?" he asked.

"It's dinner and I'm hungry, I am sure you can connect the dots," she said.

"But what about the deal?" he insisted.

"Relax, the information you want is quite broad so meet me here after curfew and you'll get your information," and with that she shut down the dome and left for dinner.

Klaus sat in his room reading some of the healing books while eating some beef stew. Since he had found the location of the kitchens, he felt less of a need to actually attend dinner with all those eyes he knew would be looking at him.

He glanced at the note with the spell Icarus wanted him to learn. The spell was called the _Listeners Ear_, it was a spell that basically stuck an invisible mark that attaches an invisible and intangible ear that would hear everything its victim hears. The spell was simple enough for him to learn and very effective. He knew the benefits of using a blunt spear over a sharp one.

Sometimes it was better to have the enemy knocked out rather than dead.

How the spell worked was that it required the caster to draw a circle seven times while simultaneously chanting the spell. It required a lot of focus because the more focus the spell has, the more the spell is able to sustain itself for a long period of time.

So Klaus decided that he would wait try the spell before he met with Luciana. He knew that after the talk they were about to have that focus would not come easy. He snapped his wand out and held it.

"_Tempus_," he said and smiled when he saw the time appear in a soft orange light. One of the supposed healing books he grabbed was actually a book filled with useful simple spells.

It was still a while before curfew and Klaus had no idea what to do until then. He jolted when he remembered something, he stood and went to his trunk. He reached in and took out his journal, a simple one with a black hardcover.

He opened it to the first page and read his scribble of words:

_Come to Hogwarts_

_Become strong_

_Make family strong_

_Bring mom back_

He took out a piece of charcoal wrapped in fabric and scratched out the first task. He had made this list after sending Cissy the message. Now that he was in he was in the right place to become strong magically. The duelling books that Icarus would provide access to would be a huge step in the right direction.

But he had absolutely no idea how to make his family stronger. He knew that right now in the wizarding world the Lestrange family name was buried and that digging it up and strengthening it would be no small feat.

His hand traced the words of the last task. He had dreams of his mother, they were never clear but they were always filled with so much emotion that he woke up crying most times. He knew his mother left him to keep him from being hunted. After reading most of the articles that slandered his mother he had stopped reading the paper. He usually only read it when he was bored.

Klaus took the crystal attached to his necklace and held it to his ears. Hearing his mother speak always grew the fire in his heart. It was like she was right next to him at times like this.

As the room filled with violet light and Bellatrix spoke to her child he felt tears slip down his cheeks and reopened his journal and edited the tasks.

_Come to Hogwarts_

_Become the strongest_

_Make the family the mightiest_

_Destroy Azkaban _

_Bring mother home_

Klaus wiped his eyes and grinned down at the words as his mother's voice died down and the crystal returned to its dim dormant state. Klaus once again smelt ozone and wondered where it had come from. He checked the time and was shocked to see that it was passed curfew.

How had time passed so quickly?

He put the book back in the trunk and snapped his wand back before exiting the room.

As soon as he left, a figure dropped its invisibility and walked around the room. The room was in chaotic sort of order. Druklaus' cot was in the corner of the room farthest from the door. Books were in a messy pile next to the boy's trunk. The figure smelt the ozone and smiled.

"It seems that your power is as hungry to meet you as you are to meet it," commented the figure.

The figure paused and stretched out a hand. In a few seconds a book flew into its hand and it read the cover.

"To Raze and To Maim? Huh, wonder where you came from," the figure tossed the book away and instantly it disappeared in a red flash. The figure chuckled and melted away.

Klaus found a note on the couch he was about to sit on. It told him to follow its direction. He smelled Luciana all over the note. He dutifully followed the arrow and was lead to a closet on the other side of the castle.

He walked inside and saw her sitting close to a fire place. Luciana gestured for him to sit down on the couch as she stoked the fire. She sat back and got comfortable.

"Paranoid much," he commented.

"The walls of Slytherin have more eyes and ears than you think, my noise canceller can't block all of them yet," she shrugged.

She closed her eyes and began to speak.

"The Blacks were a prestigious pureblood family. The bloodline had the infamous ability to produce some of the most powerful wizards and witches. The ability was infamous because these wizards were especially adept at dark magic and black magic," she started.

"What's the difference?" he asked.

"Dark Magic is magic that has been twisted to do destroy. Basically dark magic is like the Laceration spell. Its light counterpart is the Impediment spell, which was originally made to tie people up in ropes," she said

"The Laceration spell is far from harmless. It ties up victims in a thin spiked wire that continuously compresses until the caster stops it. Its purpose is to torture, plain and simple. Understand?" she asked opening her eyes and looking at him. His eyes were wide, he was no stranger to killing but torture was something he was always hesitant to think about. He nodded.

"Dark magic is any magic that has roots in Light magic," he summarised.

"Black magic is magic that was crafted to be devastating. To destroy, to maim and to raze. That is the purpose of black magic, and this type of magic leaves a mark. It taints the soul of the user till the soul of the user is adapted to using black magic. But black magic is very powerful and if your soul can't take it then the user loses their mind," she said.

"Does dark magic leave a mark?" he asked.

"No, dark magic leaves a lingering scent of ozone," she waved off. Klaus stiffened at that.

"Remember this, Klaus. Magic comes at a price. Most magic's price is meagre and won't really be felt. But big magic, whether it is White and Light or Black and Dark, a price is always paid," she warned looking deep into his eyes. He felt the weight of those words and began to wonder what kind of prices people would be willing to pay.

"Now getting back on track, the Blacks wizards were exceptionally good at learning dark and black magic. It seemed to come naturally to them, which quickly gave them the reputation of a dark house," she smirked.

"Were they?" he asked curiously.

"It depends on your perspective. What would you be willing to do to help your family?" she asked.

"Destroy Azkaban," he said with fire in his eyes. Luciana had a hard time not flinching away from that fire. Fire like that was dangerous to have.

"Then that shows the Black running in your veins. Because to the Blacks, there was no greater offence than threatening their family. What gave them the 'Dark House' label was the lack of boundaries when it came to protecting the family. They were capable of torturing, killing, massacring and all other stuff to do so," she explained.

That made sense. In the snowy woodlands of Russia he had witnessed an alpha wolf taking down a whole pack in order to protect its pack. The alpha killed the entire enemy pack and died, but its pack was safe in a more fruitful area of the woodland.

"But I guess I'm different when it comes to family," he commented.

"How so?" she asked curiously.

"Except for my mother, I could care less for everyone else. I know I have other blood relatives in this world, but in all honesty growing up with animals made me numb to that. The only reason I'm talking with you is because I need stuff from you," he said honestly. Luciana felt her heart throb at that.

"That comes from your father's side of the family. House Lestrange," she said looking into the fire.

"The Lestrange family has always been known to have dark affiliations. A large amount of offensive and torture spells came from that family, they were always known as the House of the Beasts. Their bloodlust has always pioneered magic in the direction of destruction," she explained.

"There is a rumour that the one of the elder Lestrange family heads enacted a ritual with demons that changed the nature of the spawns of the family into something deadlier and animalistic. Could explain why you survived in the wild as long as you did, being an animal is in the Lestrange nature," she said. Klaus got the feeling that Luciana was looking down on the Lestrange House and his eyes became harder. Luciana didn't notice this and carried on.

"The Blacks current head of house is Sirius Black. After his brother Regulus died in the war, Sirius gained the house ring and has made the house into some Light side trash with our aunt Andromeda and her family. My mother even told me that the Black library has locked itself away from Sirius. Funny really that Sirius absolutely hates dark magic but mother says that he was prodigious when it came to learning it when they were younger," she explained.

"So that ends the Black side of my coin. Now what can you tell me about the Lestrange House," he said. She finally looked at him.

"Not much there, with both of the twin heirs dead and Bellatrix in Azkaban the Lestrange House was stripped of all its money to pay for their part in the Blood War and the main estate was destroyed when the Aurors caught up with your mother. The House is effectively rubble," she dismissed.

"I would appreciate it if you could keep your disgust for my House out of the explanation," he growled out. Luciana stopped when she saw the violent glint in his eyes. They seemed to glow in the dim light. She cleared her throat.

"Apologies. The loathing for your House was taught to me by my father. Unknowingly of course, he always let slip of what savages the Lestrange brothers were in battle. He said he always felt like he was fighting alongside a hurricane. Excellent fighters but sometimes their animalistic side got the best of them. Your father more often," she said.

"What about my father?" he asked.

"Dad said that Rudolphus Lestrange was more animal than man. Fought low and fast like a hound, always savagely attacking vital points without mercy. Rabastan was the exact opposite, but still just as deadly. He would be the one that told Rudolphus where the vital points were and how to deal with them. He was the handle and your father was the thong of their whip. Oftentimes they were like one person," she explained.

"My mother?" he asked.

"Bellatrix Lestrange. The Queen of Pain. My father only had one description of her. She is power if power had a sense of humour," she quoted.

"Bellatrix knew combat like the back of her hand. If your father was a hurricane, your mother was the sea. She couldn't be trapped because of how quick she could adapt and overcome the situation. She could manipulate spells like none other, there are very few who have can fight her and win. She killed most of them on the night of her capture," she finished.

Klaus was blown away. His parents were strong. From the descriptions he was getting of them they were forces to be reckoned with. That made his heart swell.

"But what frightened people the most about Bellatrix were three things: her eyes, her smile and her laugh. You'd hear her laugh first, then her smile was the last thing you'd see before you die. Survivors say that her eyes glowed in the dark and that they can never forget them," she said.

"One such survivor is the sole reason your House is rubble. Frank Longbottom. He was the one who killed you father and uncle, and was part of the group that brought Bellatrix to the Ministry to face justice. He was the spearhead of laws that stripped your family of wealth and home," she said.

"What would drive him to do all that?" he asked himself aloud.

"The Lestranges tortured his wife to insanity right in front of his eyes," she told him softly.

Klaus eyes widened. So that was why that Neville kid in Gryffindor hated him so fiercely.

"Well that was all my information, I'm exhausted so good night," Luciana stood up and walked to the door. Klaus stood up quickly.

"Wait, I read in a paper that only the gold was allowed to be taken from the Lestrange vault. That means there is still stuff in there, do you know of how I could access it," he asked.

Luciana continued to the door and opened it. She was one step away from leaving when she spoke.

"Go to Gringotts," she instructed before closing the door.


End file.
